


A Better Ending

by nhasablog



Category: Dead Poets Society (1989)
Genre: M/M, Pre-Slash, Tickling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-08
Updated: 2017-07-08
Packaged: 2018-11-29 13:45:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11442129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nhasablog/pseuds/nhasablog
Summary: Todd scooted closer to the edge of his bed just as Neil sat up, their legs sticking out in the space between their beds so that their knees were almost touching. There really was no need to be sitting like this, yet here they were.“You first,” Neil said, not holding back his smile now.(Or, after a somewhat bad day Neil and Todd end up playing a game in their dorm, and in addition to his day getting better Neil also finds out something interesting about his roommate and friend.)





	A Better Ending

The sight of his bed had never been so welcoming, and Neil barely had time to shed his bag and jacket, nor loosen his tie before he fell face first onto it. This day had been a living hell from the get go, and he’d been rushing through the halls in order to get to his first class just on time, which had still earned him a pissed off look from his professor as he’d all but thrown himself onto his chair just in time for the bell to ring. The rest of his classes had been a blur after that.

He sighed and hugged his pillow tighter, willing the exhaustion to either evaporate from his body or rock him to sleep. All he knew was that no homework or socializing or anything would get done with his usual vigor unless he could get rid of this heaviness.

He hadn’t realized he’d fallen asleep until Todd woke him up, although the whole waking up part had visibly been an accident. He opened his eyes to the sight of his roommate wincing, standing as if frozen between their two beds. One of his hands was holding a book he was trying to place on the bedside table, and it only took Neil a moment to understand that he’d accidentally knocked another, much thicker book down onto the floor in the process.

He felt a smile spread over his lips, because Todd’s expression was too hilarious not to. “Hey, you.”

“I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“I know, don’t worry.” He rolled onto his back, which his body thanked him for. He shut his eyes for a few seconds and listened to Todd picking up the book and sitting down on his own bed. “What time is it?”

“Almost dinner time.”

Neil opened his eyes. “Already?”

“How long have you been asleep?”

“Too long, apparently. It’s a good thing you woke me up.” He was sitting up in the blink of an eye, feeling so much better than before, if not only slightly groggy, but he knew that would fade. “Wouldn’t wanna miss dinner.”

“I would’ve woken you up,” Todd replied quietly, looking at the notebook in his lap rather than at Neil. “But I wasn’t planning on going just yet.”

Neil craned his neck. “You working on poems?”

“Math homework. Or well, trying to.”

“You need me to find someone to help you? I’m sure I know someone.”

A small, grateful smile found Todd’s lips. “No, no, I’m fine. I like the challenge.”

Neil knew he did. “You sure?” he asked anyway, because he liked seeing that timid smile on his friend’s lips.

Todd nodded. “Positive.”

“Then maybe you can help  _me_.”

Todd laughed and whatever had been troubling Neil before left his mind completely. “Let’s not overdo it.”

Neil laughed too, and even though he knew he had homework to finish himself he would be content in watching Todd work on his all night and throw those occasional comments that would make him laugh or smile. But that wasn’t realistic and would only leave him stressed later, so he reached for his bag on the floor and got to work. The knowledge that Todd was sitting just there, only a comment away from smiling so cheerfully at him, was more motivational rather than a distraction, because Neil knew exactly what was awaiting him once they were finished, and it was worth struggling through a bunch of numbers for.

* * *

 

Apparently napping before dinner had been the absolute worst thing to do, because it was barely 8 and Neil was  _bored_. His restless body vibrated with too much energy, his mind unable to focus on anything that didn’t interest him immensely. It was a mess with a capital m, and even Todd seemed to be getting a bit fed up with his constant talking and fidgeting, and Neil didn’t blame him when he finally shut his textbook slightly too aggressively (to be Todd).

“Okay, you’ve got my attention. What do you want to do?”

“Who said I want to do anything?”

“Your body language speaks volumes.”

Neil fell onto his back on the bed dramatically. “Is there even anything to  _do_?”

Todd didn’t reply immediately, and when Neil glanced over at him he could tell he was thinking; trying to come up with an answer to Neil’s somewhat hypothetical question. He felt a smile tug at his own lips, but he held it back.

“We could roam around campus, but we’d probably get in trouble,” Todd finally said, meeting Neil’s gaze. “So maybe we could play a game or something.”

Neil hummed. “What game?”

“Whatever you want.”

“How about would you rather? Have you played that?”

“Of course.”

Todd scooted closer to the edge of his bed just as Neil sat up, their legs sticking out in the space between their beds so that their knees were almost touching. There really was no need to be sitting like this, yet here they were.

“You first,” Neil said, not holding back his smile now.

“Okay. Uh. Would you rather be late to every single one of your classes or have a teacher catch you playing hooky?”

“Easy. Have a teacher catch me. I’d still get in trouble in both scenarios, but in the last one I can at least have fun before it happens.”

“I would’ve chosen the first one, because at least I can show that I’m dedicated enough to show up.”

“Fair. Okay, my turn.” Neil rubbed his hands together. “Would you rather be stuck in an elevator or… or get tickled for fifteen minutes?”

Todd snorted. “Get tickled, obviously.”

“Wait, really?”

Todd just shrugged in response.

“Everyone always picks the elevator when I ask.”

“I don’t like being stuck. Or crowded spaces.”

“And you’d rather be subjected to  _tickling_ than do that?”

Todd crossed his arms. “I didn’t know you’d question my answer.”

“Sorry. Your turn, go ahead.”

Todd’s face had turned an interesting shade of pink, but he seemed to be ignoring it for now, so Neil opted to do the same. “Would you rather get detention every Saturday for the rest of the semester or have your parents visit every weekend?”

“Get detention. Would you rather get tickled for ten minutes or be forced to read your poems aloud to everyone?”

Todd’s expression changed so that he was  _almost_ glaring at him, but Neil was too curious to care. “Get tickled.”

“Again?”

“You know I don’t like public speaking. Or people hearing my poems, for that matter.”

But as the game proceeded Neil’s questions, that always included tickling as an option, became easier, until Todd was picking tickling over a dinner with the President (“I wouldn’t know what to say!”) and tickling over time travelling (“I would probably get stuck somewhere and what would I do then?”). Neil could probably have left it alone if Todd hadn’t suddenly gotten fed up with the repetitiveness of it all.

“Why do you keep asking about tickling?”

His question was just too good of a starter for Neil to not continue the conversation. “Because I’m starting to suspect you don’t actually mind being tickled, and it’s intriguing. I’m just trying to prove my theory.”

Todd was full on blushing now, his eyes everywhere but on Neil’s face when he said, “Why does it matter?”

“Tickling is fun and playful and sometimes even intimate. I think it’s cute that you like it.  _If_ you like it, that is. I won’t judge you if you do.”

“I- I do. Like it, I mean.”

Neil felt some sort of fondness wash over him. “And there’s nothing wrong with that! I also find it fun, though maybe not all the time. What is it about it that you like, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Todd’s face was still all but burning up, but he seemed to have recovered a bit from Neil’s words. “I just… I guess I like the trust that goes into it. I wouldn’t let just anyone, you know, do it to me. I like that it’s a way of displaying friendship, which is something I haven’t experienced much of.”

“I could do it to you,” Neil blurted out, because Todd’s confession made him feel so many things that he didn’t know where to start. “If you would want me to, I mean. You’re my friend and all, and seeing you laugh and be happy would be… nice.”

It didn’t help Todd’s blush, but he could detect some sort of intrigue on Todd’s face. The same intrigue he also felt. “You would? I mean, you wouldn’t find it weird?”

“Of course not! It’d be fun and a great way to let loose before bed. Or whenever, if you don’t want to do it now.”

“I do. Want to do it now.”

“You do?”

A shy smile found Todd’s lips. “I do.”

“Okay great, because hearing you laugh would be the best way to end this mess of a day,” Neil said, giving Todd’s knee a squeeze and making him jerk away with a giggle. “I won’t go overboard though. Just wanna see you be happy for just a few minutes.”

And with that he used both his hands to squeeze at Todd’s knees, following him onto his bed when Todd automatically tried to escape. He was already laughing, which was just delightful, and Neil moved upwards to try his upper body with glee. Todd was responding to every touch, no matter what body part Neil was going for, and Neil couldn’t help but to glance up continuously, because the smile on his friend’s face was too good not to.

He was sure they were both enjoying themselves equally, and while it didn’t last too long Neil could tell Todd had loved every single second of it once he backed off, because that smile didn’t leave his face for the rest of the evening.

“We should do that again sometime,” Neil said much later as they were getting ready for bed. “It was fun.”

Todd glanced at him timidly. “Maybe I can even do it to you.”

“I’m afraid I’m a kicker.”

“I’ll live.”

Todd grinned and Neil grinned and the moon grinned through their curtains and everything was okay. His day had started awfully, but it had ended up being one of the best days so far this semester. He wouldn’t have traded it for anything.

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my [tumblr](http://nhasablog.tumblr.com) for tickle fics.
> 
> Here's my [tumblr](http://nhasasideblog.tumblr.com) for non-tickle fics.


End file.
